Business in brief

Citizen Staff Reports

06/07/12

Henrico Doctors’ Hospital recently named Lisa Licata, Esq. vice president of human resources. Licata will spearhead the initiatives relating to human resources and benefits for Henrico, Parham and Retreat Doctors’ Hospitals. Prior to joining Henrico Doctors’, Licata most recently served as the senior vice president of human resources and corporate secretary for Cadmus Communications Corporation. She has served as attorney at area companies including Troutman Sanders, LLP and Swedish Match North America, Inc.

***

Wyndham Virginia Crossings Hotel & Conference Center recently announced that General Manager Bob Nelson has been honored by Wyndham Hotels and Resorts® with the hotel chain’s prestigious General Manager of the Year Award. Since joining the hotel in 2010, Nelson, who is responsible for overseeing operations and management of the AAA Four Diamond property, was credited with demonstrating strong leadership and impressive business results in 2011. Under his direction, the hotel also completed a major renovation including all meeting rooms and banquet facilities, The Tavern Grill, pool and terrace area and major additions to its 20 acres of lushly manicured grounds.

***

Capitol Financial Solutions (CFS) recently welcomed Bart Davey to the firm. Davey has more than 34 years of experience in the financial services industry and is a graduate of Rollins College and St. Christopher’s School. He holds life/health insurance licenses, a long-term care insurance license and the FINRA Series 7, 24, 63 and 65 securities licenses. His office is located in Henrico and he can be reached at 665-1531.

***

University of Richmond President Edward Ayers will teach a week-long enrichment seminar for teachers, historical society staff and National Park Service interpreters on the history of the American South June 26 to July 3 at the university. Sponsored by The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, the seminar will be the fifth Ayers has taught at Richmond. He previously taught and co-led Gilder Lehrman summer seminars for more than 10 years before joining the university. The seminar will cover the central role the South has played in American history. Major themes will include the development of the colonies and the new nation, emergence and spread of slavery, immigration and development of the West, the Civil War, emancipation, the creation of segregation and the civil rights struggle. For more information, visit http://www.gilderlehrman.org/teacherseminars .

***

Private equity real estate investment and development firms New Boston Fund, Inc. and RER Equities, Inc. have leased 83,414 square feet of Class-A office space to SunTrust Bank, Inc. for its mortgage group at WestMark Two in Glen Allen. The two firms manage WestMark Two in the joint-venture partnership RER/New Boston West Broad Street, LLC. WestMark Two is a five-story, 204,622-square-foot office building situated on a 40-acre business campus. SunTrust will occupy 41 percent of the building. The RER/New Boston joint venture purchased WestMark Two in August 2004.

RAMPS (Ramp Access Made Possible by Students) recently received an $8,000 grant from the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation. The award was one of 75 grants totaling more than $600,137 awarded by the Reeve Foundation to nonprofit organizations nationwide that provide more opportunities, access, and daily quality of life for individuals living with paralysis, their families and caregivers.

RAMPS, an organization founded by then-Henrico County high school students to build ramps for local low-income residents who need them, will use the grant to purchase modular wheelchair ramp supplies. These supplies will be used by local high school RAMPS clubs, who provide volunteers to build the ramps. > Read more.

Henrico resident Larry Loving, Jr., will compete with three other locals – Thomas Scribner (Richmond), Roscoe McGhee (Midlothian) and Larry Loving (Richmond) in the Liberty Mutual Insurance Invitational National Finals at TPC Sawgrass, in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., Feb. 26-Mar. 1. The foursome qualified for the national golf tournament by winning the Liberty Mutual Insurance Invitational, held at Whiskey Creek Golf Club in Ijamsville, Md. on June 11. That event supported the RiteCare Center for Childhood Language Disorders.

The Henrico Police Athletic League (PAL) held its Sixth Annual Awards Banquet Feb. 5 at The Cultural Arts Center of Glen Allen, celebrating accomplishments of 2014 and recognizing outstanding contributions to the organization. Henrico County Juvenile Domestic Court Judge Denis Soden served as master of ceremonies and former Harlem Globetrotter Melvin Adams served as keynote speaker.

Among the 2014 honorees were Richmond International Raceway (Significant Supporter), Richmond Strikers Soccer Club (Significant Supporter), Henrico County Schools-Pupil Transportation (Summer Camp Supporter), Bruce Richardson, Jr. (Youth of the Year), Sandra Williams (Volunteer of the Year), Thomas Williams (Employee of the Year), Mikki Pleasants (Board Member of the Year), and Michelle Sheehan (Police Officer of the Year). > Read more.

It was another win for Willow Lawn when Travinia Italian Kitchen and Wine Bar opened there six months ago, nestled in the heart of the re-made shopping center. The contemporary American Italian restaurant boasts 13 locations up and down the East Coast, with the Henrico location opening in August.

In the same week, I hit up Travinia twice, once for lunch and once for a late dinner. At lunchtime on a weekday, I was overwhelmed by the smell of garlic and by the number of working professionals in nice suits on their lunch breaks. When we first walked in, I was concerned our meal would be a little too pricey based on the décor – it’s a really nice place. Luckily, the menu has a variety of options for every budget. > Read more.

There’s a ton of sugar in The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water. Literal sugar, as SpongeBob Squarepants (Tom Kenny) and Patrick (Bill Fagerbakke) inhale their own weight in cotton candy and eat ice cream, one scoop per mouthful.

At one point we burrow into the brain of our boxy yellow hero and discover the inner workings of his brain: googly-eyed cakes and candies that giggle and sing. All of which is extremely appropriate for a film like Sponge Out of Water. Because not only is the movie sweet (the “awwww” kind of sweet), but it’s the equivalent of a 30-candy bar sugar rush, zipping between ideas like a sponge on rocket skates.

The story under all this is really not that complicated. SpongeBob flips burgers at the Krusty Krab. > Read more.

With this last round of snow still fresh on the ground, the best way to start the weekend may be at Southern Season for their weekly wine-tasting program, Fridays Uncorked. Families with cabin fever will enjoy the Richmond Kids Expo, taking place tomorrow at the Richmond Raceway Complex. Some date night options include the Rock & Roll Jubilee at The Cultural Arts Center at Glen Allen, HATTheatre’s production of “The Whale” and National Theatre Live’s “Treasure Island” at the University of Richmond. For all our top picks this weekend, click here! > Read more.